POPs management in Belarus

The Long Term Program of PCB Management in the Republic of Belarus

The Republic of Belarus, as one of the parties of the Stockholm convention, had undertaken the following obligations in terms of management of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs):

  • Remove PCBs from use by 2025;
  • Provide for elimination of waste containing PCBs by 2028;
  • Identify and label equipment containing PCBs;
  • Detect waste products with PCBs concentration over 50mg/kg;
  • Exclude the use of equipment containing PCBs at enterprises that produce food and fodder;
  • Use PCBs only in undamaged and sealed (airtight) equipment;
  • Provide control over the use of equipment and also provide control over timely detection of possible PCBs leakages;
  • Exclude the possibility of PCBs recuperation;
  • Enable the detection and restoration of damaged territories contaminated by PCBs.

The strategy of PCB management had been determined by the National Plan of the Republic of Belarus for the Implementation of its Obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for the period of in 2011-2015,  approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus #271, issued on June 27, 2011.

An array of measures for handling equipment, materials and waste containing PCBs had been determined by the National Plan. It also includes actions of inventory and labeling, discontinuation of use and environmentally safe storage and elimination of PCB-containing equipment.

Due to the fact that most of the detected waste and equipment containing PCBs are located at state-owned enterprises and official organizations it is imperative for public authorities to plan out and implement measures of PCB phase out and disposal.

Within the framework of implementing the GEF project “Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Stockpile Management (Component C of Integrated Solid Waste Management Project)” the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection has developed a long term Program of PCB Management in the Republic of Belarus.

The mentioned program has been approved by the Coordinating committee on implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants on December 27, 2011.

An important element of the long term Program of PCB Management in the Republic of Belarus are target indicators of phase out and disposal of PCB-containing equipment, which were developed based on the following factors:

  • international obligations of the Republic of Belarus on phase out and disposal of PCB-containing equipment in compliance with the Stockholm Convention;
  • the deterioration and obsolescence of equipment (exhausted operation life);
  • the ecological hazard associated with the use of PCB-containing equipment;
  • the risk of PCBs entering food and fodder;
  • the country’s financial and technical resources available for decommissioning PCB-containing equipment;
  • planned establishment of a PCB disposal facility in the republic;
  • the uniformity of the process of phase out and disposal of PCB-containing equipment.

The target indicators are identified for each economic sector where the PCB containing equipment is found (the relevant governmental authority – a ministry or a concern – is responsible for the attainment of these indicators).  Such indicators are as follows:

  • decommissioning of all the PCB-containing equipment found in the Republic of Belarus by 2025;
  • Environmentally safe disposal of all PCB-containing transformers in the country by 2025, and by 2028  - of all PCB-containing capacitors.

The largest amount of PCB-containing equipment to be disposed of belongs to the  enterprises of the Belneftekhim concern and enterprises under the aegis of the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Belarus.

The Program contemplates the disposal of 307 transformers and over 54 thousand capacitors that contain PCB.

The main outcome of the Program implementation is going to be the total elimination of all the PCB-containing waste products in the Republic of Belarus and the fulfillment of our country’s obligations under the Stockholm Convention.